Tiger's Past
by xChewy
Summary: Every strong relationship starts off somehow. And to build it, and strengthen it, events must occur. My idea of the White Tigers past, starting with how they began to form a friendship, and moving on to how the characters became a family. Info inside.
1. The ghost boy

**Tiger's Past** - A story about when the White Tigers were young. How they met, how they became friends, and the troubles they faced together that would inevitably build trust between them. No pairings, because having a few six-year-olds love each other is out of the question. Sorry. (:

Ages: Rei; **7** Lee; **7** Mariah; **5** Kevin; **4** Gary; **11 - The ages change, but you'll know when they do.**

Note; I've attempted to keep this relevant to Chinese culture, so when you read something like the discription of the temple, the earth god, or the spirits, that's why. Keep in mind that I only know about Chinise culture through a month or so of studying at school, so it might not be as accurate as I would like... But it probably is.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

"Hah, yeah, that was sure funny!" Short black hair bounced around amber cat like eyes as the young boy walked down the dry dirt road. Besides him, a raven haired boy of the same age nodded in agreement with a broad smile.

"When the bucket when flying through the air and landed on Mr. Lin?" The two erupted into a fit of laughter at the memory. It continued until one stopped the other.

"Rei, did you hear that?" The first boy asked, putting his arm in front of the other to stop him from walking. The addressed child paused, and then nodded.

"Yeah, Lee, it sounds like crying."

"And laughing?" The two exchanged a look before moving off the trail in the direction of the sound. What they came upon startled them to silence as they ducked behind the trees and underbrush of the forest. Before them, three older boys – probably all ten years old – were standing around a much younger boy, who was lying on the ground with tears in his eyes.

"Stop it!" The young green hair boy whined, looking up at the oldest of the three. He only sneered and brought his foot down onto the boy's back.

"Cry baby! Give us your girly necklace, you cry baby!" The immature taunts brought an unfamiliar feeling of anger and responsibility in the two boys watching this all. Though they were both only seven years old, the two knew they had to stop the bullies.

"Hey!" Lee called, standing up and making himself known. Not knowing any better, Rei did the same. The sudden appearance of the pair got the attention of the three older boys, who paused a moment before laughing.

"Buzz off, we're teaching bite size here a lesson." One of the three boys sneered, turning back to the small boy now kneeling on the ground before them. His violet eyes looked at Rei and Lee pleadingly, but there was a small sign of resentment in his face as his gaze towards them, arms wrapped around him chest like he had been kicked there one to many times. Rei could tell with a glance that the bullies had done far more then just teaching him a lesson.

"No, pick on someone your own size!" Lee called, repeating the phrase he had heard from his parents but honestly not having the faintest idea of what it really meant. The older boys laughed, and repeated the comment in sardonic tones. After a while of the unjust mockery, the largest of the three grew bored and turned back to the small boy, who looked like he had recovered slightly in the time the bully had been distracted.

"Now where's that necklace, you little runt?" The rather pudgy boy demanded. The small, younger boy fixed his glare on the ground and said nothing in reply, his arms still wrapped around his upper body. The bully growled and smacked the victim upside the head. The boy fell to the side and hit on the ground, too tired to lift himself up the second he got the chance. Just as the bully was about to grab him, Rei and Lee made a beeline towards them and leapt onto his back. A confusing mass of shuffling around followed before the bullies took off running, emitting straggled cries of how the two younger boys were too fast, and demon like. They were down the path and out of site soon, and Rei and Lee high-fived happily.

Their positive emotions, however, vanished the second they looked back to where the boy had been. Nothing but disturbed dirt and foot steps were there to thank the two boys for their efforts, as it quickly became apparent that the youngest boy had run off.

"Hey, he ditched! After all that!" Lee complained, throwing his arms in the air and turning in a complete circle as if doing so would summon the boy back. Rei, on the other hand, gazed worriedly in the direction where the boy took off, hoping that he would be alright.

-x-x-x-

The sun set quickly through Reis bedroom curtains. It had been a long day, and Rei was ready for a nice long sleep. His parents had tucked him into bed only moments before, and if anything the night would be undisturbed. Slowly and peacefully, sleep began to claim the young boy all nestled in his bed of blankets and pillows. He would have drifted off completely had it not been for his mother opening his bedroom door slowly.

"Rei, dear, are you awake?" Rei groaned to signify that he was not yet asleep. His mother came to sit down on the edge of his bed, and Rei could feel the mattress shifting under her weight.

"Rei, have you ever heard of a boy named Chen?" She asked calmly, stroking her sleepy son's cheek. Rei paused a moment before shaking his head.

"Well, he is older then you by about three of four years. He came home this evening complaining about demons and just happened to describe one like you. What were you up to today?" She asked, concern floating into her words. Suddenly, Rei felt wide awake. He remembered it all; the older kids, the younger boy, and how he had run off after then got rid of the bullies. Specifically, Rei's mind made a connection to how the bullies were yelling about demons as they raced off.

"Yeah, there were these bullies picking on this one kid and we chased them off but then the kid ran away without saying thank-you!" Rei spat this entire explanation out in one breath and his mother was left looking at him with great concern.

"They were bullying another boy?" She asked, her eyes narrowing. Rei immediately saw his mistake; by telling his mother that the boys were beating a younger kid up, Rei had earned himself the title of tattletale for a good four months, or at least until someone else did it. Still, he nodded slowly, knowing it was the right thing to do.

"Oh… I think I'll just have to go and let Mrs. Mao know that. Goodnight Rei."

And uneasy pause followed. "Night mom."

-x-x-x-

"Lee, get _up_!" Pale amber eyes narrowed as the young girl shook her brother again and again.

"Aggh… Go away Mariah!" The boy lying under the blankets on the bed waved his arm at her weakly to shoo her away, but the girl just smiled, grabbed hold of his wrist, and tugged the boy from his bed. He hit the wooden floor with a thump and groaned loudly.

"Lee's up, mom!" The girl called, racing out of the room. Pink hair flicked back and forth behind her as she went. Being only five years old, Lee's sister was an honest to god pain in the morning. Lee stood and stretched, rubbing his back where he had landed on the floor. His thoughts went from sleep clouded, to breakfast oriented, to the past day. He tottered into the kitchen, finding that whenever he closed his eyes, those pale violet eyes of the young boy were staring back at him, as if telling him to go away. Lee would rub his eyes again and again, but the agitated look wouldn't vanish from his mind's eye.

The day continued on slowly, and as Lee found out, the same thing was true for Rei; except he saw the pleading look of the boy, rather then the resentful look. The both of them talked about it awhile, Lee asking if Rei thought the boy was a spirit, and Rei saying that in order for there to be a child spirit, a boy must have died recently. Since not only were there no recent deaths in the village, and Rei honestly had no idea what he was talking about, the two dismissed the idea.

"Well we could go find him." Rei suggested. Lee groaned inwardly.

"Why? He obviously didn't appreciate us helping him last time."

"Yeah, but at least we'll know his name. Common!" Rei called, racing ahead of Lee. His best friend growled and rolled his eyes. They were about to spend their entire day tracking down a four year old, and he wasn't going to enjoy it.

The two boys searched day in and day out, coming across nothing but small footprints here and there that would disappear into the trees as if the boy had flown up and away. By noon, Lee had grown quite annoyed with the aspect of finding him, and decided to openly complain to Rei.

"He's probably at home resting, Rei. There's no point of searching for him, we could be at the river right now!" He whined, stopping in his tracks. About six feet ahead of him, Rei turned around and narrowed his eyebrows.

"I bet the bullies are at the river." He stated simply. Lee's disconcerted expression faded into a blank slate as he considered this. It was the place where the older kids hung out, after all, and they would likely run into the older boys who had caused the distress the previous day.

"But, they'd be scared of us. I mean, we showed them what we can do, right?"

Rei paused a moment, wondering if he should inform Lee of his conversation with his mother the night before. Deciding that it would be better for Lee to hear it from him and not one of the bullies, Rei took a breath and tried to explain.

"My mom found out last night. All the older kids probably know and _they'll_ beat us up."

Lee stared at his best friend. "You… You _squealed_?" His eyes were wide.

"It was an accident! I never meant for my mom to hear, but I was really tired and she just worked it out of me!" Rei said, shame visibly showing on his face. His let his head hand while he waited for Lee's reply.

"Well… I guess… There's nothing else to do but find him." Lee said. The boy was experiencing one of his rare moments where he pitied someone so much, he would attempt to make things easier for them by doing something nice for them. And since Rei was his best friend, and wanted to find the boy so badly, Lee would stick by him. After all, the second they came in contact with the older kids, Rei would hear enough about being a tattletale. Lee didn't have to add to that. Much to Lee's relief, Reis face lit up without him knowing about Lee's plan.

"Thanks, Lee."

"No prob. So where would he be?"

"Um…" The two of them felt their spirits drop. The village was fairly large, and there were plenty of places for a four year old boy to hide. Rei thought about this a moment, wondering why someone would run away and then put in so much effort to conceal himself the next day. Rei found himself slowly approaching an idea that had never occurred to him before.

"Lee, what if he thought we were bullies?"

"What?! We saved him from those bullies, we weren't going to beat him up!"

"Yeah… But say there were more then one group of bullies picking on him… And he thought we were coming to protect our territory."

"Territory?"

"Yeah, bullies stick with the same kids that they beat up."

Lee narrowed his eyes, not following at all. Rei sighed and attempted to explain his reasoning.

"Okay… Say you had a favorite beyblade stadium. You practiced and battled there all the time, and it was practically yours. But one day you come to practice and find other kids there. You would want them to leave, right?"

Lee looked at Rei a moment. "So… There are other bullies beating up this kid? And… He thought we were the other bullies?"

"Yeah, I guess." Rei said, shrugging. The two stayed silent a moment.

"That's the dumbest thing I've ever heard. He would recognize us, right?"

"Well… Maybe he thought we were new bullies." Rei said quietly, wondering how stupid his plan sounded. It was smart to him, and made enough sense to encourage the boy to follow the hypothesis. Lee too fell quiet, trying to remind himself that he had to keep his mind open.

"… Alright, so maybe that's why he ran. But where is he now?"

"… What are some good hiding places around the village?"

As the day went on, the two spread out looking in all the hide-and-seek spots they could. Even some of the greatest hiding spots were empty, and even with the help of Lee's younger sister Mariah, it was no use. Rei was walking through the bazaar, Lee was down by the rice fields, trying to avoid the temptation of splashing his feet in the fertile water, and Mariah was up near the temple, looking in ever corner there was.

She walked into it slowly, bowing towards a figure the size of a barrel, and noticing the red incense that was burning slowly around it. It was dressed in rich red silks and seals painted in red were hanging on the ways. The shrine had been like this for years, and people continued to come and idolize the earthen god for the years of great harvests and perfect farming weather. Mariah looked all around it before lifting her eyes to the upper floors of the temple. The middle of the building was hollow, with different levels wrapping around the walls until they reached the top, connected by ladder like stairs.

The corners of each section of roofing were curved upward, to deflect evil spirits that were said to only travel in straight lines, and Mariah's eye caught on to something as he gazed upwards.

Someone appeared to be sitting on the top most layer, as Mariah noticed a small bag barely hanging over the edge of the layer of floor. She had always hated the top, as the view stretched on for miles and miles, and it was so high off the ground. However, Lee and Rei had made it very clear that if she noticed something, she should check it out. So, she began climbing quietly and quickly. There were a total of five floors to the temple, which rested atop the highest hill in the village. Mariah made it past the first three before the fear of heights kicked in, and she continued on very slowly and carefully. One more floor... Five more steps…

"Go away." A voice, young and sorrowful, sounded quickly. Mariah stopped head in her tracks, three steps from the top level. She waited, not moving, for the voice to sound again. When it didn't, she narrowed her eyes and replied.

"Not after I got this high up!" She tackled the remaining three steps and found herself kneeling on the top floor. The round windows provided a few of every hill, tree, lake, river, and stream for hundreds of miles, and disappeared into the horizon. She looked around her slowly, until her eyes came to rest on a small boy. His green hair fell over his right eye just barely, and he was hugging his knees to his chest. He looked genuinely sad, but not afraid. Mariah stared at him a few moments before noticing the bruising on his upper arms and his left cheek.

"Hey, you're that kid my brother saved yesterday!" She proclaimed. The announcement startled the younger boy, and he looked at her with narrowed eyes. Mariah decided that he was unsure what she meant, and explained.

"Yeah, he said that he and Rei saw three guys beating you up and they scared them off. Isn't my older brother cool?"

The boy paused. "No." The reply made Mariah's heart sink.

"What do you mean, 'no'? He saved you from bullies!" She cried, eyes narrowing. How could someone be so ungrateful?

"That doesn't make him cool. Now go away."

Mariah glared at him, wondering how old he was. After a moment, she asked.

"Four." He spat, glaring right back at her. She smiled broadly.

"Ha! I'm older then you, I'm five."

"So?" The boy narrowed his eyes, the sadness returning to his face. Mariah recognized that she wasn't making him feel any better. Slowly, she sat down next to him and gazed out the window at the hills below. She found herself not scared anymore, and realized how beautiful it was.

"I'm Mariah."

A long pause followed. "I'm Kevin."

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

xChewy; First chapter, please don't flame. I'm studying China in school at the moment, but I'm not sure if the information I plug in is 100 correct. If there's something wrong, please let me know.

Rei's mother; :cough: Do I get a name, in this story?

xChewy; … Why? O.o;

Rei's mother; Well, I never do.

xChewy; Then why break the chain?

Rei's mother; -.-; Rude little…


	2. News of a death

Hey! Second chapter, and nothing but positive feedback. So, I suppose that's good. (: I live writing this way and I feel I connect more with the characters when they're at a young age, because there are few stories like this and it's a pretty open field in terms of creativity.

**LET THIS BE KNOWN:** The White Tigers village is secret. Why? Because it's full of a species called Neko-Jin, who are like human's only half cat. (You've seen them in the show with their eyes, ears, and teeth, right?) So it's hidden away. Based an hints throughout the show and my own geographical knowledge, I'd say the village is on the Yangtze river, far towards the lower middle section of China. There, the land if lush, furtile, and they grow things like tangerines. You can watch the third season and find that tangerines are an important thing to the White Tigers.

So, you know... Look at a map on google or something and find out where it is for yourself. But before you do, read!

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Rei sighed at fell backwards onto the hammock that Lee had already collapsed on. The ancient cloth that had been strung between to trees, scarce with branches and blossoming in the late spring afternoon, felt as though it could burst underneath their weight. It, of course, didn't stop the boys from lying on it. It was as if they were challenging it to see how long it would go without ripping.

"Sorry for dragging to into this, Lee. I guess I thought we could find him." Rei said, his young voice breaking the silence. The water of the Yangtze River flowed slowly only a few feet away from them, and as the sun set slowly over the hills a beautiful golden glow splashed over the village and all its inhabitants. Shadows grew larger by the moment and the air began to grow colder and colder still.

"Why are you sorry? Honestly, I was kinda interested in finding him too. Only to ask why he ran away, but still..." Lee murmured, focusing more on the water then his best friend. Rei too was gazing across the waters surface dreamily, wondering what kind of fish were swimming around at that very moment. Just as he was about so suggest that the two boys go fishing the preceding day, a familiar voice called out his name.

"Rei! I found him!" Lee and Rei turned to find Mariah skipping happily down the road, her fingers wrapped tightly around the wrist of a small boy, who was being pulled along. He looked nervous and timid, and all over sad. Lee and Rei practically fell off the hammock and spun around to face the approaching kids. Sure enough, the boy has the same green hair, and when he looked fearfully towards Rei and Lee, they noticed he had the same violet eyes. Rei laughed and punched his fist into the air, showing how happy he was to have finally come across their goal. Lee on the other hand, just stared at the short little boy with slightly narrowed eyes. Before Rei even had a chance to ask what the boy's name was, Lee began to question him.

"Why did you run off? We were trying to help you, you know. Who were those bullies? Do you get beat up often?" He would have continued had it not been for his younger sister kicking him in the shin.

"No you jerk, leave him alone!" She scorned, glaring at him. Her hand was still grasping the boy's wrist tightly, who was staring down at his feet. Lee narrowed his eyes, noticing that the tips of the boy's shoes were both pointing towards each other slightly.

"You're pidgin footed." He stated bluntly, trying to change the subject. Mariah might have been younger and smaller then him, but her kicks were painful. The youngest of the four didn't look up. Lee felt his face grow hot. He hated being ignored by someone, especially if they were younger then he was. Not wanting Lee to make the boy feel any worse, Rei spoke up.

"What's your name? I'm Rei." He said, an encouraging smile plastered onto his face. Finally, the boy looked up at him. The expression made Rei's heart throb. The boy looked sad, hurt, ignored, and ultimately alone.

"I'm Kevin." He mumbled. Mariah smiled broadly.

"He already told me. I guess I know him better then either of you, so he was my friend first, okay? Just for the record." She put her hand on her hips and gave Lee a dark look, as if doing so would let him know not to try and claim he had met Kevin before Mariah had. Of course, Lee was fine with not doing so. There was something about Kevin that Lee just couldn't stand.

"So... Why _did_ you run off after we scared away the bullies?" Rei said slowly and thoughtfully, trying to word it right. Kevin sighed.

"Because I really needed to get home." He said, his voice nothing more then a mutter. For some reason, Rei knew that wasn't the real answer, but he didn't push further. Instead, he moved onto the next question.

"Where do you live?"

"Up in the house on the hill. The one the westerners built a long time ago." Kevin seemed to say this nervously, but then, everything about him seemed jumpy. Rei looked in the direction of the hill, though tree's blocked it from view.

"You live there? You're in the Ki family?" This bit of news fascinated Mariah, who smiled broadly stepped in between Rei and Kevin. The young boy nodded, looking back towards his feet. Rei smiled slightly. For the longest time, he and Lee had thought that house was haunted, because it didn't follow traditional Chinese architecture. He had many questions to ask Kevin, but decided against it.

"What does your dad do?" Rei asked. There were lots of jobs to do in the village, and Rei wondered if he had seen Kevin's father before in one of the bakeries or steel shops. Kevin shook his head slightly.

"He works in Shanghai, he's a writer."

"And your mom?"

"She... My mom watches over me."

"So she doesn't have a job?" Rei asked, cocking his head to the side unintentionally. It wasn't that uncommon for mothers to stay home, Rei's own mother did it. But normally they would be working in the home by making bread and cleaning, as was the typical role. Kevin shook his head.

"Nope... She did though."

"As what?"

"... A baker." He said so softly, Rei thought he was almost crying. Lee noticed as well, and narrowed his eyes.

"What's with you? You're so sad all the time, you're a real wet blanket!" Lee cried, throwing his arms in the air. Kevin let his gaze sink back to his feet for the third time, and exhaled shakily.

"Lee!" Mariah snapped, kicking him again. Lee gripped his shin and bounced up and down, clenching his teeth in pain. Rei shot his best friend a glare and turned back to Kevin.

"Why?" He asked, concern growing on his words. "What happened?"

"She..." Kevin mumbled, but had to stop and compose himself. Lee had stopped hopping and Mariah had turned her full attention to Kevin by the time he was ready to say what he had to say.

"She died last week."

And the world stopped. Mariah might have made a gentle gasp, Lee might have lost his annoyed expression and suddenly felt sorry for what he had said, but Rei didn't notice. So, this kid got beat up, had no parents living with him, and his mom had just died. How could anyone go about their day without bursting into tears every five minutes, or avoid telling anyone? Surely someone had to know that his mother had died. Surely the village elders. Rei wanted nothing more then to help Kevin, and make his pain go away, but he had no idea how.

"I'm... I..." He mumbled awkwardly, only to be cut off by a distant yell.

"Keeevviiinnn!" The boy before Rei snapped his head upwards and towards the direction of the call, tears glistening in the corners of his eyes.

"Bye!" He sobbed quickly before racing off at a speed that startled Rei. For someone with such short legs, he was fast. Rei watched him dash off without protest, only looking after him with a sorrowful gaze.

"Poor kid..." Lee mumbled, stepping up to Rei's side. The two stayed like that a while before Mariah threw her arms around her older brother, crying openly.

"What if our mommy dies?!" She whined. Lee patted her shoulder and tried to comfort her, but nothing he said seemed to sink in. Suddenly, without warning, she pulled away from Lee and snatched his wrist.

"Common, we need to get home right now and make sure she's okay!" Mariah cried, tugging Lee away after her. He followed with little objection, calling over his shoulder to Rei.

"See you tomorrow!" Rei acknowledged the comment but a nod and a slight wave, but he was still shocked by what he had learned about the boy. Still, he felt a little better knowing someone was looking out for him. Who else would have called his name? It must have been time for him to get home to eat...

Rei suddenly came to his senses and burst into a run down the road. The golden light that had once filled the area besides the river was now fading quickly, leaving the world behind as it traveled far beyond the hills and out of site. In short, it was rapidly becoming dark, and Rei needed to get home for supper. He raced down the road and over the fence by the meat shop, racing down the path between the rice fields and leapt over a row of crates. He was quickly in the middle of the bazaar, where people were darting back and forth finishing up their days business. After five moments of dart between people, carts, crates, and horses, Rei turned down the road and sprinted the rest of the way home. He reached his home without a breath left in his lungs, but raced through the front gates with determined speed.

His mother greeted him in the kitchen with the typical tapping over her foot and crossing of her arms over her chest. She asked where he had been, and waited while Rei decided whether or not to tell her about the boy he had met. His mother was a good hearted, loving woman, who might jump to conclusions or get overly sympathetic without meaning too. As much as it would annoy Rei when he grew older now, that love and support was something he loved his mother dearly for, and so he told her.

Of course, she knelt down and pulled him into a hug, stroking the back of his head and telling him it would be alright in soothing tones. It was moments like this where Rei wondered what he would do without his mother, and felt his heart throb. He had no idea what Kevin had to be going through, and he wished more then ever to make it better.

Even if he barely know the small boy.

-x-x-x-

"Thanks for dinner, mom." Rei said with a weak smile, bowing slightly as he did every night. His mother smiled warmly, and shooed him off to bed so that she could clean up in peace. Rei raced to his room as fast as he could since no one was around to tell him not to run, and he pulled the door aside quickly before collapsing onto his bed. He didn't want to wash his face, or brush his hair and teeth. He just wanted to go to sleep, and he hoped that if his mother came upstairs and found him already asleep, she would just leave him be.

Of course, Rei couldn't stop thinking about Kevin and his mother. Death was something that Rei had never experienced before, and the thought of it was daunting for a seven year old to think about. And how old was Kevin, four? It must be even more confusing and scary. Rei would never want his mother or father to pass away, and it was painful to think about. He had so many questions and not a clue on how to answer them, that the thoughts swirling in his head made it almost impossible for him to fall asleep.

"Rei, what ever happened to preparing for bed?" His mothers soft voice broke Rei from his thoughts.

"Oh, umm... I just keep thinking about death..." It was enough to change the topic, at the least. His mother sighed and came into his room, sitting down beside him and patting her lap. Rei climbed onto it reluctantly, knowing that he was too old for this sort of thing. Still, he did it without complaint.

"Oh, honey... Death is as natural as life, and it happens to everyone at the end of their lives. It's hard for those who are still alive, to deal with the ones who have passed on, but we pray for them. They go to a better place, and they always watch over us."

Rei's mother tried to explain this to him as carefully as she could, so it would sound like a much less scary thing. Still, it was vexing for Rei to hear it. He remembered how Kevin had said his mother was watching over him, and wondered if Kevin's father had told Kevin what Rei's mother was now telling him.

"Where do they go?" Rei asked quietly, unsure if he wanted to hear the answer. His mother smiled faintly.

"No one knows. That's what makes it so scary."

"Well, how come no one knows?" Rei asked, looking up at his mother with narrowed eyes.

"Because once you die, you don't come back. You're soul goes somewhere, hopefully someplace wonderful."

A long pause followed, as Rei's mother rocked her son back and forth gently.

"Do you think my soul will go somewhere wonderful?" Rei asked, looking across his room curiously, and with a splash of worry on his face. His mother laughed slightly.

"Yes, Rei, so long as you are a good person to all and try your best in this world. And I know you will." Rei smiled broadly, but still didn't look up to meet his mother's amber eyes until a few moments passed. When he did, he found her smiling down on him.

"I _know_ yours will, ma." Rei said, returning the smile. His mother laughed openly, and ruffled his hair.

"Hopefully, no time soon though." She said warmly, before lifting Rei off of her and standing up.

"Now get into your night ware and get ready for the sleeping hours." She said, in an official tone of voice. Rei laughed and groaned at the same time. He had partially been hoping that his mother would forget.

-x-x-x-

Mariah bopped her head up and down, humming her morning tune. It was a short whistle that she had come up with weeks ago, and sang it each morning as she dressed and brushed out her hair. Lee was never awake to complain about it, her mother always commented on her lovely voice, and her father always smiled warmly when he heard it. There was something about the song that made everything feel better and happier.

This particular morning song was slow and dull, as Mariah's thoughts lay elsewhere. Her mother and father had comforted her late into the night, telling her that neither of them were going anywhere anytime soon. When she finally fell asleep, she had tears in her eyes and was gripping onto her blanket tightly.

She splashed water across her face, washing away the stale dry tears. She was wrapped in her own thoughts, reflecting on what her parents had told her the night before and wondering what the place was where people went when they died.

Her grandparents were all alive, two of which were village elders and the other two happily watched over the hobby store in the center of the village. She had never lost a cousin, aunt, uncle, or any other family member, and she had no idea what it felt like. She was nervous to talk to Kevin again, if she ever ran into him. If she were in his position, she wouldn't even go out. She would just cry for weeks on end. But still, she had no idea what it felt like. Maybe Kevin didn't want to just stay home and miss his mom.

Mariah was so absorbed in her thoughts that she didn't notice a sleep clouded Lee coming down the hallway until the two collided and fell backwards onto the floor. Mariah caught hold of the railing besides the entrance into the garden just in time, but Lee was far to groggy to notice and landed promptly on his bottom.

"Owww... Mariah, watch where you're going!" He barked, awkwardly heaving himself up off the ground and brushing himself off. Mariah nodded timidly and started back down the hallway. Normally, she would have laughed and said something along the lines of 'you disserved that', but Lee was shocked and confused to find such a sad response.

"Aw, common. Don't turn into that Kevin kid, okay?" He moaned, turning to watch his sister disappear. She turned on her heal abruptly and glared back at him, her small fists clenching.

"Don't make fun of him, you're a jerk!" Then she spun around and raced away, the tears returning to her eyes as she fled. Lee stood in the hallway scratching his stomach, questioning what had just happened.

"Geez, why is everyone spun so tightly around here?"

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

xChewy; Phew, that was a long one. Or maybe it wasn't. It's just been a long day for me, so you know...

Kevin; Not really.

xChewy; Oh, go mourn your mother.

Kevin; I'm actual age in the comment thing, right? Not four?

xChewy; Fine.

Kevin; Good.


	3. A new friend

One iPod, no internet connection, and a lazy mother's day were all I needed to get this chapter written. I have a few notes, though, so please read them. Oh, and review. Of course.

**Note One;** Rei's mother has been craftily named 'O-lan' after a character in the wonderful, classical novel The Good Earth. Though the characters have different personalities, I see Rei's mother to have the same heart as O-lan, thus I've named her after that character. It's inaccurate, as far as I'm concerned, and it means nothing to the plot of my story. I just wanted to let you all know that's where I got the name from.

**Note Two;** Thank you for the reviews! I'd list names, but I'm writing this without internet connection and don't know the usernames by heart. Sorry, it's just not something I have the time and/or brain capacity to learn. .;

**Note Three;** When Rei says "Oh, I need a loaf off bread, stat!" towards the end of the chapter, it's meant to be something that a child would here and repeat without knowing the actual meaning. So, imagine a little kid saying that and assume it's really cute. I.E., Rei isn't some military elite that uses codes and scripts for everything. Good day.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Three weeks had past since the evening encounter with Kevin. Rei slowly let the event slip from his mind, though he had felt awkward and slightly confused for the preceding four or five days. After a week, life began to grow hectic as his father was off working more and more and his mother was caught up in harvesting produce from the garden besides the back door to the kitchen.

Rei, being the only child and frugal for his age, was entrusted with the shopping and daily errands in the village. Being a personable child, Rei happily complied and did the choirs his parents asked him to do, knowing that he would get to go from shop to shop and talk with different people.

Doing this always made Rei feel older and more mature then he was, and being only seven years old, the thought of growing up perplexed him. He eagerly bounded into the kitchen one warm summer morning in anticipation of receiving his daily tasks. It took his mother a total of twenty-seven seconds – Rei counted – to make her way through the back door of the kitchen and into the room, where she heaved a beautifully weaved basket full of an array of produce and herbs onto to the table.

"Rei, dear!" She exhaled, her words coming out in one heaving breath, "Run to the tea shop and collect the sugar and spices we need."

"Okay! What else?" Rei beamed widely towards her mother, still catching her breath. She had a habit of telling Rei to get one thing, when she really needed three, and Rei always made sure to remind her.

"Oh yes... Um, what else... Ah! We need rice cakes, and fish. A big fish Rei, Baiji if they have a fresh one. Oh, and a loaf of bread. That too much?" She asked, watching her son shake his head and smile. Rei made a mental note of each item needed and nodded before racing out of the kitchen and into the main hall of the home. There, on a bench neatly decorated with smooth soft cushions, lay a bag in which Rei carried the items when he went shopping. It was saggy and floppy when nothing was in it, and Rei remembered how his father had told him he would be like that if it weren't for his bones.

Rei smiled and the funny thought of pulling himself along, and flopping about because he had no bones. As he scooped the bag up and slung the strap over his shoulder, he wondered what the sack would look like if it had a skeleton.

-x-x-x-

The bazaar of the village was alive and bustling with early morning activities as Rei bounded into the middle of the crowd, smiling and clutching the bag to his chest. The young boy closed his eyes and took a deep breath, smelling everything from sweet sugared tea to the salty smell of dead fish. Repeating the list of items needed over and over again in his head, Rei quickly darted across the open market square to the tea shop, where he collected the sugar and spices his mother asked for. The small bundles of cloth were tied off neatly with a thin string, and Rei carefully slid them into the bag and moved to the next shop, thanking the man behind the counter with a smile.

The grain shop, more of a tent then an actual structure, was full of people bartering for prices and calling out their orders. Rei slid through the crowd, his head only level with the other customer's legs, and quickly made it to the front counter. Even though he stood on his tiptoes, he failed to get the attention of the shop assistant, who was busy trying to exchange money for grain, take orders, and mind the rest of the store at the same time. Rei furrowed his brow and called out to get his attention, only to find himself lifted into the air by a pair of strong hairy arms.

"Well look at you! You've grown since the last time I saw you, Rei!" The man's deep voice bellowed over the rest of the crowd and turned a few heads. The two huge arms lifted the boy even higher, and in the next instant, he was sitting on the man's right shoulder. It was wide and broad, making it easy for Rei to keep his balance. The boy laughed as the large man made his way through the crowd, the people parting.

"You mean last week?" Rei laughed, clutching his bag tightly. The man sighed and moved behind the counter.

"That recently? Maybe I'm thinking of Lee."

Rei laughed again, sliding off the man's shoulder as he sat down. "Yeah, he hasn't been here for a while."

"That he hasn't." The man said with a smile. "So what'll it be?"

Before Rei could reply, the shop assistant turned away from the growing crowd and with a nervous look addressed the man. "S-sir, there are too many of them! I need help!"

The man gave a burly laugh. "You _are_ the help! What part of the title 'shop assistant' do you fail to understand?" The man turned back towards Rei and thumped the small boy on the back. "So then, what'll it be?"

"Rice cakes. Enough for the week, I think…" Rei murmured, reaching back and rubbing his back. The man, obviously the owner of the grain shop, reached into a large basket to his left and pulled out a small bundle of cloth. He handed it to Rei who dropped three silver pieces in his large palm and shoved the package into the bag. From the other side of the counter, some customers began to complain.

"Aw, Garret, why does he get the food first?"

"Yeah, I'm hungry and I need to get back to work in twenty minutes!"

"Quit your whining or you won't get anything!" Garret bellowed, standing to face them. He looked back at Rei one last time. "You get out of here, your mum is probably wondering what's taking you."

Rei nodded happily and darted out of the shop, into the bright sunlight that was now heating the village square. The buildings all around him gleamed in a way that only they could, the vines growing up them sparkling as the morning dew still gripped their leaves. A few white flowers darted across the vines, making everything feel as though it were from a fairy tale. With half of his items gathered, Rei made his way towards the fish shake. The smelly structure was down on the bank of the river, and was normally filled with bored old men. Rei sighed and darted out of the bazaar, down a well worn path past two men with fishing rods, and into a grove of trees. The brightness of outside vanished as the sunlight failed to break through the thick leaves.

All at once, Rei was back out in the sunshine, and across the patch of cool river grass was the shake, alone by the waters edge. Rei could here the adults inside, and smiled as he slowed to a walking pace. He pulled the door open and stepped in, covering his nose instinctively to the strong odor of dead fish.

"One Baiji fish, please!" Rei called through his hand. With his free hand, he waved two silver pieces above his head only to have them snatched by the man behind the counter. The next thing he new, he was holding a cold fish, wrapped with thick white paper and sealed with the symbol for the Baiji fish. He bowed his thanks and raced from the shack, stuffing the fish into the bag and sticking out his tongue with revulsion.

A loaf of bread was the last thing Rei needed to get, and he looked forward to it the most. Nestled in the heart of the village, the bakery was easily the most friendly, beautiful building in the entire hidden city. Rei ran as fast as he could to get there and stopped outside, taking in the vines that climbed the face of the structure. They were covered in small white flowers, all glistening and sparkling in the afternoon sun. The door was left open to air out the warm rooms inside, as something was always being baked. Rei made his way in and smiled as the dim lights and the smell of freshly baked bread filled his senses.

The women in the bakery outnumbered the men by far, but they weren't the shy submissive women in the great temple. These women, of all shapes, sizes, and skin tones, were loud and strong, and made Rei feel happy to be around them. What made it even better was that they loved anyone under the age of ten.

"Look here, ladies, its O-lan's boy!" A large woman bellowed from the other side of the oak counter. Rei nodded and smiled.

"And from the looks of it, you were just at my husbands god-forsaken grain tarp!" She laughed again, her voice loud and warm. Rei laughed and pulled himself up on the counter, letting his legs hang over the edge. He swept his gave around the room, taking in the shelves of bread, candles, and wall scrolls. Just as he was looking to his right, however, he stopped short. Sitting next to him, staring at his feet and fingering a clothes pin, sat none other then the boy Rei had saved only weeks before;

Kevin.

"Hey!" Rei cried, his eyes widening. Kevin, who had apparently not noticed Rei, jumped at least a half foot into the air and gave a startled cry, turning to face Rei while lifting his arms before his face protectively.

"W-w-what?!" He stuttered, gaining the attention of the woman behind the counter who had just finished taking a loaf of bread out of a huge clay stove that took up half the room.

"What's all this now, Rei? Can't you see this kid isn't in the mood to play games?" She said, laying a hand on Kevin's shoulder and pulling him towards her a little. Rei couldn't tell whether Kevin was giving him a horrified look or glaring at him.

"Whet-hat-but… You were… and then…" Rei looked towards the small boy with a confused look. "He's the kid Lee and I saved from the bullies!" At the statement, recognition dawned on Kevin's face.

"You mean that mean kid? And Maria?" He asked. His voice wasn't as timid as Rei remembered.

"Mariah. Her name is Mariah." Rei said, nodding. From behind the counter, the woman smiled.

"Well then, you've met? That's good, saves me the introduction." With that said, she went back to her work, leaving the two boys on the counter to stair at each other uneasily. There was a long pause before the younger of the two spoke.

"I thought you were a bully."

Rei narrowed his eyes slightly, not understanding the statement. "You mean then, or now?"

"Now. And then, but only before Maria introduced me to you."

"Mariah."

"Whatever."

Rei sat there, gazing with wonder at the younger boy. Shortly after the awkward silence took over again, Rei came up with a question.

"What are you doing here? Do you shop for your m…" Rei stopped short, realizing his mistake. The boy's face darkened a fraction before lighting up a bit.

"No, it's… um…" Kevin mumbled, biting his lip as he tried to think of the right words to say. Rei frowned a little, wishing he had never mentioned anything about Kevin's mother. Even though it had likely been a month since she died, Rei found it hard to believe that Kevin had gotten over it so soon.

"It's what?" Rei asked in a small voice, still not sure whether or not to apologize or not.

"I'm five today." The reply finally came, making Rei feel even worse. Not only did he bring up Kevin's mother, but he had done it on his birthday.

"Dang, I'm so sorry!" Rei whined, his facial expression dampening. Yet another ill at ease moment of silence took over, filling the air between them before Kevin smiled slightly.

"It's okay. My dad says that there are bound to be people making that mistake for a while. And since you don't really know me… at all… I figured you might." Kevin mumbled, avoiding eye contact with Rei. The elder looked up, not sure whether to be thankful for the forgiveness or annoyed that Kevin could be so forgiving so easily.

"So, you're five now?" Rei asked, finally deciding to change the subject. Kevin looked thankful for it.

"Yeah."

"What did you get?" Rei asked happily. Every year for his birthday, he received a unique gift from his parents. Though the tradition was the same with Mariah and Lee, it might not be for Kevin and Rei suddenly felt embarrassed for asking.

"This!" Kevin eagerly held out a small rectangular device with a screen the size of that on a basic calculator and buttons along the side. A wire, about two feet long, was plugged into the large tea bag sized device on one end, and on the other spilt and met up with two bud like circles.

"What is that thing?" Rei asked, bewilderment on his face. Kevin laughed.

"My dad sent it to me. He says it's called an 'MP3 player', and you can listen to music on it putting these in your ears. Try it!" Kevin said, handing the buds to Rei and helping him put them in his ears. Then, Kevin pushed a few of the buttons and the next thing Rei knew, he was listening to music. He smiled involuntarily, eyes wide with amazement and curiosity as the song picked up. When it came to an end, Rei reluctantly handed the ear buds back to Kevin.

"Well?" The younger boy asked eagerly. Rei smiled and nodded. "It's awesome! Though, I couldn't understand the words…"

"It's in English." Kevin said knowingly, making Rei smile. The two sat there a while longer in silence, before Rei decided to ask yet another question.

"Why are you here?"

"Cause it's my birthday."

"No, but, why? Like, why do you go to the bakery on your birthday?"

Kevin paused a moment and thought about his answer. He could tell Rei something half true of all true, but either way it would be embarrassing. So, Kevin went with the full truth.

"Cause it's my birthday and I know everyone here and they want to celebrate it with me." He stated matter-of-factly, nodding slowly with each word. Rei nodded too, a blank look on his face as he considered that Kevin's father was in Shanghai and his mother was dead. Hadn't Kevin said that his mother worked in the bakery before she died? So he probably knew the women in the bakery, and they looked out for him.

Suddenly, things started to make sense to Rei. Kevin was being watched by someone in the bakery, and it was probably that person that called Kevin the night by the river. But for some reason Rei remembered the voice to be younger, and more like a boy's. Maybe one of the baker's daughters-

"Hey, Kev! You're like, almost half my age today!" Just as Rei was getting wrapped up in his thoughts, the cry of an older boy filled the air of the bakery. A few of the women called their greetings, but when Rei looked over, what he saw made him forget everything he was thinking about.

Standing just inside the doorway was an older boy, possibly eleven or twelve years of age with the same hair color as Kevin and the same violet eyes. He smiled broadly as Kevin bounded off the counter towards him, only to be caught in a huge by his older brother.

"Kyle! Where have you been?" Kevin asked, happy to see his brother.

"Cleaning the spooky old parlor in the house mum left us. I swear the dust was this thick!" The boy exclaimed, holding his index finger and thumb a centimeter apart. Kevin smiled and threw him a look of aw.

"You went in there?! Wow!" Kevin cried, his pale violet eyes sparkling with amazement. By this point, Rei had become interested enough to introduce himself. He pushed himself off the counter and walked towards the two, standing a few feet away until Kyle noticed him. Instead of saying hello like Rei though he would, Kyle held onto Kevin's hand tighter and narrowed his eyes.

"Who are you?" He asked, his pupils slitting so that they resembled that of a cat's. Rei took a hesitant step back before Kevin dove in between the two of them.

"No, no, Kyle, this is Rei! He's not a bully, so don't worry." Kevin stuttered, waving his hands around to emphasize his point. Kyle studied Rei a moment longer before smiling, his young adolescent fangs glistening in the light of the oven. He stepped towards Rei and took his hand, giving it a strong shake.

"Well then he's a friend of mine!"

Rei hesitated before asking something that was bothering him. "Why did you think I was a bully?"

Kyle stopped smiling and glanced towards Kevin, who was holding onto Kyle's long sleeve attentively. He looked up to meet his brother's gaze and nodded, giving a slight smile. Kyle sighed and looked back towards Rei.

"Kev gets bullied a lot, that's all. I wasn't sure if you were another jerk-face, so, you know… I got to protect him and all cause he's my younger brother." His words, although poorly composed, made perfect sense to Rei. He glanced towards Kevin to find him staring at his shoes out of habit and smiled a little.

"I can look out for him too, you know."

"Oh really?" Kyle asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Yeah, cause that's what friends do." Rei said simply. Of course, his words had so much impact on Kevin that the youngest boy just stared at him, shocked.

"Friends?"

"Yep. We're friends, aren't we?"

Kevin's look of shock slowly faded into a smile, which widened more and more until he was practically grinning from ear to ear. Rei smiled back, as did Kyle.

"Yay! Really?! I have a friend, cool!" He exclaimed, jumping up a little and laughing. Kyle and Rei both smiled and laughed along with Kevin before Rei realized something important.

"Oh, I need a loaf off bread, stat! If I'm not home soon my mom will make me clean the walls on the hall again!" Rei cried, suddenly feeling worry well up within him. Kyle laughed again, but in a different way and stepped towards the counter.

"Auntie? Could Rei have a loaf, he needs to go."

"Sure, anyone that can make that little guy laugh can have it for free." The large woman said cheerily, handing Rei a warm bundle that smelled of fresh bread. "Now get on home, youngin'!"

Rei bowed a little in thanks and received a few laughs from the women, making him blush. Then he said goodbye to Kyle and Kevin, throwing the younger a wink and raced from the bakery, calling over his shoulder.

"Happy birthday, buddy!"

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Well, that was long. I would add more to this section if I had the time, but I don't so I won't. Wow, I'm a poet and I didn't even know it. (Quote from one of the announcers on Beyblade, first season. Aren't I a nerd?)

Sorry for the wait, **please review**, and see you next time!


	4. The bridge

Wow. High school isn't much different for me then my middle school was. How disappointing. Anyways, sorry it's taken me so long to update. If you haven't noticed by now, it's not something I have time to do that often. But at least it's good practice for NaNoWriMo! I'm going this November. Anyone else plotting to win? Let me know in a Private Message or in the review for this chapter!

**Note One**: Yes, the bullies are vicious little monsters. I base them off of the bullies from my old neighborhood when I was growing up. Nice little haven until that family moved in. Took us quite a while to convince the adults that they were bullying us all.

**Note Two**: Yes, it's more of a cliffhanger ending then the last chapter. But the last one ended so happily that I just couldn't do it again. I needed to balance it all out. So suffer through my morbidness!

**Note Three**: I've been working on this chapter for so long, I forget how it started. Sorry if there are grammatical errors, cultural errors, or skipped scenes. Let me know if something seems off, so I can change it. Thanks!

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

The sun beat down mercilessly on the village, heating the dirt roads and stone buildings with little effort. Few people were roaming the streets, and those that did moved quickly and tried to stay within the shade as best they could. Elderly people sat inside, reading or writing or telling stories to the children who were two young to be playing in the heat. Parents prepared meals and cleaned the homes with the aid of older children, and ice was being used by the chunk to cool off various things.

But not everyone was inside. For the children who had nothing better to do, or nowhere else to play, the river was a haven to escape adults and the responsibilities of being the children of the hidden village. The Yangtze River, cool and refreshing in the afternoon humidity, flowed slowly to the west, it's fresh water abundant with life. Near the docks, boats of various sizes floated idly atop the water, with nets hanging over the sides and men sitting back waiting for the time to lift them out and collect their bounty. But up river, farther away from the village, was another spot unknown to the adults. A spot where their children could climb the trees and rocks along the water's edge, swim, and fish for themselves without being disturbed.

This place was called the waterway, and everyone under the age of fifteen knew about it. But, perhaps those older then the given age knew of the spot, but they didn't go there. In order to keep concerned parents out of the waterway, no one spoke of it around adults, and no one had any trouble keeping in a secret.

And it was on this hottest of days that Rei and Lee decided to find their own niche at the waterway, and spend the day there. Of course, Mariah was more than happy to tag along uninvited, but only Lee had a problem with it. Now, it was common knowledge that the path to the waterway was a well kept secret. The original trail, once well known, was covered and destroyed by the older boys, who said that if an adult was told, no one would be able to go to the waterway ever again. Not wanting to lose the one utopia that they had, the younger children stayed quiet, even when the elder boys demanded payment for using the new trail they had made. It had been this way for two years, and every summer it was the same; to get into the waterway, one must supply the bullying boys with candy, coins, or toys of some sort. So, to gain admission, Rei and Lee both brought with them a piece of candy to offer as currency so they would be allowed in.

Mariah had with her a silver coin that she found deep underneath her bed. She skipped along happily, eager to go for a swim or catch a fish with her older brother and Rei, but as they got farther up the road she slowed to a walking pace behind Lee. Up ahead, an older boy – about twelve – stood guard by a hole in the bushes along the side of the road. He crossed his arms over his chest and glared across the way towards the three approaching him, only to find that they were very familiar to him. He raised a hand and pointed at the approaching boys, not realizing how pale his face had grown.

"D-d-demons!" He whined, moving quickly out of the way and ushering them through, so not to displease them. Rei and Lee paused, glancing at each other with surprised looks before realizing that the older boys was one of the three bullies that had been beating Kevin up when they first met him all those weeks ago. Smiling to themselves, the pair puffed out their chests and proudly moved past him, Rei snapping his teeth together as he passed just to frighten the older boy. Mariah followed after with utter confusion written on her face, not sure what was going on. Slowly and quietly, she slid the coin back into her pocket before following after her brother.

The hole in the bushes along the side of the road opened into a tunnel, that lead through heavy undergrowth and thick spinneys. It twisted in dizzying directions and stretched on for a few good moments before opening into a wide open space filled with children of all ages, running and playing and laughing together. Elder children taught the younger ones how to swim and fish and climb, while a few of the older children were doing something else completely. They were atop a large rock, at least fifteen feet up into the air, making a few young kids serve them; the bullies. Rei narrowed his eyes, feeling a sudden responsibility towards the children being abused atop the rock. Before then, Rei would always mind his place and not say anything. But after seeing the older boys hurt Kevin, Rei found in himself a no tolerance level for anyone who would do such a thing. Just as he was turning to walk towards the rock and stick up for the younger children, Lee caught his arm.

"Don't Rei. I know you think you can help them but you can't! There are too many of them!" Lee said in a hurried, hushed voice. Rei stopped, clenching is small fists with annoyance and anger, but nodded. Lee was right; Rei would only get himself beat up. So, deciding that they would enjoy their day best in a shady spot by the water, Rei, Lee, and Mariah moved up river to where there were less people. They walked so far, in fact, that they came across an old stone bridge that was used to get in and out of the village. Deciding that they had gotten far enough away from the others, Rei and Lee sat down below a large tree and began stringing up their fishing rods, while Mariah rolled up her pant legs and waded in up to her knees, laughing.

As time passed, Lee managed to catch six fish while Rei only caught three, and Mariah had found a lovely butterfly to follow around. It wasn't until the sun was high in the sky that three or four older boys approached, led by the very boy who had been guarding the entrance to the waterway. 

"Well, well, well. If it isn't the brats that stopped us from teaching our favorite little buddy a lesson."

Rei looked away from the water and jumped, shocked to be so close to the older boys. As quickly as he had noticed them, Rei was on his feet by Lee's side, fists clenched.

"You're a big bully and a jerk!" he said bitterly, only to be laughed at by the older boys.

"Whatever. I didn't come here for you to tell me who I am, I came here to get revenge."

"Revenge on what?!" Lee spat, stepping before Rei. The boy in charge of the others laughed.

"You little twerps, for ruining my lessons."

Rei growled from the back of his throat, making the others laugh harder. Being the young boy Rei was, his growl sounded more like a can-opener then a large cat. "You were hurting him!"

"What, like you care?" The largest boy spoke up, popping his knuckles. Rei swallowed but held his ground.

"Yes I do, he's my friend!" Rei said, gaining both heavy laughs from the older boys and a surprised look from Lee. Rei shrugged it off and opened his mouth to say something, only to be cut off by the leader of the bully pack.

"That pint-size little brat needs to learn not to talk back to me. And until he does he's going to be my main target. So get over it."

Rei furrowed his brow and clenched his teeth tighter. How could anyone say that? How could someone knowingly hurt another person just because they didn't like the way that person talked to them? Rei didn't understand, but he swore right then and there that he wouldn't let anything happen to Kevin again. He wouldn't let these bullies beat anyone else up. And, to signify the decision, Rei made the single stupidest move he had ever made in his life. He reached forwards and grabbed onto the older boy's shirt, pulling the larger boy forwards and head-butted him in the stomach as hard as he could. Winded, the boy fell to the ground while his friends took a step back, unsure what to do.

"Get him!" The crippled boy gasped, sending his 'friends' into action. Rei and Lee immediately posed for action, bracing for the oncoming wall of ten-year-olds that charged towards them, arms spread forwards to grab them. Their leader had stood, fists tight and anger raising, looking for revenge on the boy who had head-butted him. And he may have gotten the chance, if it hadn't been for the day's second unwanted interruption.

Out on the bridge, leaning over the stone side with his arms folded below him, was none other than Kevin. He looked worried and frantic, but otherwise helpless.

"Stop!" He cried, his young voice crossing the water to the youth on the bank, who turned and gave him a surprised look. Until, of course, the largest of the bullies pointed towards him.

"Boss, it's him!" He cried. Rei watched as panic set on Kevin's face, realizing that the diversion he made wasn't in his favor. As the boy in charge shot one final glare at Rei before turning to chase after the youngest boy, Lee kicked his left foot forwards and tripped the bully nearest him. That boy fell right onto his brethren, knocking them all flat onto the ground. Rei saw his opportunity and ran right over them after the remaining pursuing bully, who he had recognized by now as Chen. Lee followed after him, hot on his heels, as they ran faster and faster to catch up the older boy. The eldest, by this time, was just reaching out mid-run to grab hold of Kevin's arm. Kevin himself was proving to be strangely fast for someone his size, but he was frightened and breathing quickly, making it hard to run at his greatest speed.

"Stop!" Rei cried, realizing that his shorter legs wouldn't help him get any closer to the older boy in time. The moment this fear presented itself, it became a reality as Chen wrapped his fingers around Kevin's upper left arm and stopped running, twisting around and pushing Kevin into the stone wall that made up the side of the bridge. The boy cried out, struggling helplessly to pull away as Chen lifted a closed fist into the air. He managed to bring it down twice, blindly, before Rei caught up to him and held his arm back. Lee grabbed the other one as Kevin slid down the wall into a huddle on the cobblestone ground of the bridge, holding both his face and chest in pain. Rei noted for only a moment that he wasn't making any noise.

"Let go, you little brat!" Chen growled, bucking and twisting in an attempt to throw Rei and Lee off. The struggle lasted a few moments, with Rei swinging around and holding on for dear life while Lee unintentionally dragged the older boy towards the ledge, where all at once he lost his balance and fell over the stone wall. In an instant, both Rei and Lee let go, watching him hit the water and come up for air with a shocked gasp, his friends struggling out to help him. From up on the bridge, Lee watched the older boys pull themselves towards the bank as Rei raced over to Kevin, who was trying not to cry. He knelt down besides the boy, placing a hand on his shoulder carefully before pulling his hand away from his face. Rei bit his lip at the site; a split cheek was leaking blood as the skin around it was a bright reddish pink.

There was a long pause before Rei smiled awkwardly. "That's the second time I've saved you from bullies." He said, trying to make light of the situation. There was a pause where Kevin didn't make eye contact, making Rei feel stupid and thoughtless. That lasted until Kevin looked towards him with a very weak grin on his face.

"Actually, I saved you."

Rei blinked. "Oh really?"

Kevin nodded and looked towards his feet, not knowing what else to say. Rei smiled, happy to have helped Kevin again. And along with that feeling of accomplishment came a sense of pride that Rei wasn't used too. Maybe from here things would turn out okay.

"Mariah!" Lee yelled, shattering the good moment that Rei was enjoying. His friends cry was strained and startled as Rei jumped up to lean over the edge, watching as the newly recovered Chen shoved Lee's sister into the river. In a bolt of rage and fear, Lee was over the side of the bridge and into the water, swimming after her as fast as he could, the bullies on the bank laughing as Chen started walking back towards Rei and Kevin. And in reaction to all of this, Rei just stood there, frozen like a deer in the headlights.

"Rei…" Kevin whimpered, nervously tugged on Rei's pant leg. He looked across the bridge at the rapidly approaching Chen, eyes widening with each step the oldest boy took towards them. Still, Rei was frozen to the spot, lost in frantic thought. He should protect Kevin, even though he wouldn't be the greatest defense against a boy the size of Chen – and he was a rather large bully. But, Mariah was in trouble too and Lee was his best friend… Who to help? What to do? Rei bit his lip and furrowed his brow, unsure which move to make.

"Rei!" Kevin whined, loud enough to snap Rei out of his trance. The only boy that stood between the fast approaching predator and its prey made his final decision, and braced himself.

"Stay back!" Rei cried, clenching his teeth and watching as Chen paused, growled deeply, and charged. The way the bully rammed into Rei was like cutting warm butter with a cleaver; Rei stood no chance against the huge mass of pre-teen which shoved him to the side with a swing of his right arm. Kevin was on his feet and managed to dodge one massive fist before the other connected with his gut, knocking the boy to the ground with ease. As the smallest gasped for breath, Rei pushed himself to his feet and dove forwards, catching hold of Chen's shoulders and refusing to let go. The bully reared, twisting around and flinging Rei off towards the ledge of the bridge before turning back towards Kevin, who was still on the ground in a ball, trying to breath. Chen staggered forwards, growling viciously before falling forwards, body-slamming the five-year-old with ease.

It was then that Rei experienced utter horror, something he had never felt before. Because as he lay there, on the cobblestone ground of the bridge, Rei could hear Kevin yelling and screaming in pain from beneath the large boy, his emphatic cry sending a shockwave of fear through Rei. What if Kevin was about to die? What if he somehow got Chen off of him and then afterwards Kevin died? Rei lifted himself up onto his elbows and looked before him, watching the scene absent mindedly. His mind was blank, and his limbs were frozen stiff with shock as Chen pushed himself up and kneeled over the younger boy, grabbing hold of his shirt collar and sneering.

"Your such a baby. You deserve this." He said, smacking Kevin across the face. The youngest boy was still gasping for breath, tears spilling down his cheeks as he continued to struggle for freedom.

".. A-and you deserve a diet!" Kevin groaned, refusing to submit to the older boy. He had been taught by both his father and his older brother that if someone is being mean in order to get what they want, and you give it too them, they'll only keep being mean. Kevin didn't want the bully to keep hurting him, but even though he didn't give Chen what he wanted, he still got hurt. Kevin didn't really know why, but he got the feeling his father and brother were wrong.

"What?! You're going to pay for that! Lesson number twenty-three: respect your elders!" Just as Chen raised a closed fist in the air, his muscles flexing and his teeth clenched, a large hand jolted forwards and grabbed hold of his wrist, pulling him straight off of Kevin with ease. The youngest boy coughed, having been holding his breath in anticipation of the blow to come, and opened his eyes, looking up.

A large boy with little hair on his head, a big nose, and a strong build glared down at Chen with what appeared to be closed eyes as the bully tugged and squirmed to get out of the newly-arrived saviors grip. With his free hand, Chen slammed a fist into the large boys stomach, jaw dropping as it had little effect. Growling, the new boy lifted Chen up and literally tossed him over the side of the bridge. The other bullies stopped short, having been running towards Chen to join him in the abuse like they usually did, jaws dropped.

"You leave my cousin alone." The new boy spat, his words blocky and awkward. The other boys turned and ran, not wanting to end up like their leader. From the water, Chen broke the surface gasping for breath, and after seeing his crew retreat, bit his lip in defeat.

"Just you wait Ki!" He growled, thrashing towards the bank. "Wait till I find you alone and I'll beat you up so bad you won't be able to move for a week!"

Kevin, although rattled by the sudden disposal of the bully, didn't seem to notice the threat. He pulled himself up stiffly and held his stomach, looking towards the younger boy curiously, eyes narrowed slightly.

"What do you mean, 'cousin'?" He asked, his voice a little strained from lack of breath. Rei finally stood, racing over to Kevin's side and standing between him and the large boy. Though he refused to let it show, Rei felt horrible on the inside. He just lay there and watch Kevin get hurt! How could he have been so stupid, he promised to look after him! He promised to protect Kevin, and he couldn't do that.

"Our dads are brothers. I'm Gary."

"I'm Kevin…"

"I know." The large boy smiled, eyes still appearing to be closed, and shifted his glance to Rei.

"This a bully?" Suddenly his voice was serious again. Kevin shook his head quickly, before realizing the sudden movement made him dizzy. He stumbled and fell back before Rei caught him.

"Careful! I think we need to get you to a doctor, Kevin!" Rei proclaimed. In an instant, Gary was lifting Kevin into his arms, despite the murmured protests from the younger boy. Suddenly, Kevin didn't feel so good, but he didn't want to let the adults know. If the bullies knew that he squealed, they would _really_ hurt him… but perhaps after Chen's threat, it was inevitable.

Just as Rei and Gary began to move off of the bridge, they stopped short at the sight of two fermiliar faces. One was surprised to see Kevin hurt, and she bounded forward to see if he was okay, while the other glared at Rei.

"Thanks for the help, Rei." Lee growled. He was soaked, and shivering as clouds shadowed the sun. Mariah too was wet, but she didn't seem to mind. Lee had helped her, it only took one person to do that. Still, it would have been very heroic if Rei had come… She pushed the thought away. Boys were gross, she didn't like Rei.

"Lee, I-"

"Oh save it. You chose to help _him_, and it looks like you couldn't even do that." Lee spat, turning abruptly to leave. "Come on, Mariah."

His sister hesitated, glancing back towards Kevin and then at Rei before racing after her older brother, disappearing into the trees in the direction of their home. Rei gazed after them sadly, before Gary noticed something.

"We should go fast. Kevin's asleep."

Rei looked down and felt his heart freeze over. Kevin wasn't asleep, he was unconscious. He had been told by his mother that if someone were to lose conscious while they were hurt, it could end up being the death of them. Rei didn't want Kevin to die, and with that thought flashing through his mind, he pulled Gary along hurriedly towards the rest of the village.

_Boy_, Rei thought, _what a bad day_.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

xChewy; Booyah. Not only did I get all my science homework done, I successfully updated. I'm happy with myself!

Kevin; Please tell me my past isn't going to be this morbid the whole story.

xChewy; Oh, no, trust me, the spot light won't be on you much longer. Not until later on when they find out what actually happened to your mom.

Kevin; What?! Don't post that, that's personal!

xChewy; Buahahahaha… At least she died for a good cause.

Kevin; No she didn't! She- Oh, no, you're not going to get me to say it.

xChewy; Dang, that would save me some writing… Oh well. Review!


	5. Recognition

"Well that don't make no sense

OMGWTFBBQ.

Here's the next chapter. I apologize in advance for the crappy rushed-ness. I wasn't really in the mood to write, but I wanted to finish this. So here you go. Tada!

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

"Well that don't make no sense."

"Didn't say it had too. 'Still don't mean 's a lie."

"But why would they care? 'Snot like he's done 'em any harm or nothin'."

"Do any of the kids he picks on ever do 'em any harm?"

"Nah, I get your point."

Mariah craned her neck to listen to the conversation that was occurring on the other side of the wall. She recognized the voices of the two boys when she was walking by, and after hearing 'Chen', she decided that she was interested. The first voice, young but rough, belonged to Len, the second his twin brother Cecil. They were known for their poor hygiene, they're skills at fishing, and the fact that they knew everything there was to know about the village; or so they claimed. They're father was a bit of a drunk, friendly as he was, and spent his time fishing and sleeping. He was a kind man, but sometimes it was best not to bother him. His children had found this out at a young age, and so they spent their time discovering secrets.

"But what I dun get is why he needs to make that kid suffer even more. 'Snot my place 'er nothin', but dun you think he's got it hard 'nough?"

"Yep. Not a friend in the world, dead mum, and now Chen's gone and started plottin' his demise."

"Good thing we ain't in his boat, eh?"

Mariah blinked. They were talking about Kevin, weren't they? She listened intently for the next few minutes, but the pair on the other side of the stone ledge had abandoned the subjected and moved on to something else. Mariah slipped away after a while. She had to find out more about this, but she didn't want to talk to the two of them alone; they smelled bad and were three years older then her, so they would probably just call her a baby and ignore her. Frowning, she burst into a run down the road toward the wood, racing over a wooden bridge that crossed a wide creek. Though no one was there, and the sky was cloudy, Mariah couldn't help but notice the abandoned makings of a ramshackle boat someone had attempted to construct over the summer. Fall was here now, and leaves were beginning to turn and drift down from the trees.

She pushed harder. Trees flew by her as she turned a sharp corner and vaulted over a fallen log, scurrying under another and slipping on a large fallen leaf. She caught herself, pushed back up, and started up the hill again. In a matter of moments, she was bursting into a field of grass as tall as her. The strands swayed in the gentle breeze, rustling against each other soothingly. A few birds burst into flight from their hiding places in the grass, but Mariah didn't notice; atop the hill stood a lone willow tree, its branches drooping gracefully around its base. One branch, thick and long, stretched out in parallel to the ground three feet below. It was worn smooth from years of people sitting on it, and in the middle, leaning over a book, was Lee.

"Lee, Lee, Lee!" She cried, flailing her arms as she came to a stop before him. She gasped for breath as he looked up at her irritably.

"What, Mariah? Can't you see I'm doing my studies?"

Forgetting for a moment the news she had to share, Mariah planted her fists on her pre-mature hips and frowned, blowing out a breath of fatigue.

"What studies? You've only been in school two weeks!"

"And I got studies to do!"

Mariah glared at him. "Well I have something that's more important then studies! It's about our friend-"

"Aw, I don't care about Rei. He's a traitor."

Mariah blinked. Rei? Lee was mad at Rei? Since when? She set her jaw and titled her head to the side innocently. "No, dumby, I mean Kevin."

Now, perhaps it was the temperature, or the wind, or the humidity in the crisp fall air, but Mariah was more convinced that it was simply Lee's reaction that sent a shiver straight down her spine. He stiffened, his eyebrows falling into an even deeper glare, before he slowly and stiffly looked up at her. His eyes were serious and angry; not just annoyed, but actual angry. Mariah was not used to seeing this look on her brother's face, and she started, surprised.

"I don't give a damn about _Kevin_." Lee spat. Mariah gasped, hands flying to her mouth. Lee _swore_! How in the… Why would he… He swore! Mariah must has looked as shocked as she felt, because Lee snapped his book shut and slid off the branch, landing with ease on the ground. He turned to face her, still angry.

"You stay away from him, you hear me? He'll just get you in trouble."

And with that, he turned and raced down the hill into the forest, out of sight. Mariah stared after him, contemplating what she had heard so far that day, and finally decided on one thing; Lee could not like Kevin if he wanted, but Mariah liked him, and that's what mattered. But still…

Who was she going to warn about Chen now?

-x-x-x-

Rei opened his eyes reluctantly, blinking into the bright white morning light that surrounded him. In a half-hearted attempt to protect himself from the brightness, he rolled over in his bed and pulled the blankets up over his head, burying himself beneath. The light faded, but his moist breath soon choked him back to the surface. Now awake, he squinted around his room and began to listen.

Crying.

Startled by this noise, and utterly curious, Rei sat up and pushed the blankets off of himself, slipping off the bed and padding across the room. The sounds were coming from the kitchen, and moving silently through the familiar halls of his home, he came across the doorway to the room from whence the sound came.

Upon one of the cushions on the middle of the room, with her legs drawn beneath her and a handkerchief in her hand, was his mother.

"Mama?"

Startled, she turned to find her son in the doorway, looking at her with confusion and worry. Pocketing the handkerchief and wiping her eyes, she smiled gently and ushered him to her.

"Come here, baby." She said warmly, sobbing a little as she spoke. Rei hesitated and moved towards her, letting her pull him into her arms. Silence ensued, and Rei finally couldn't stand it.

"Why are you crying, mama?"

"Oh," She said, laughing a little despite herself, "I was just thinking about something sad, that's all. It's healthy to cry sometimes, you know."

Rei nodded, though he wasn't following what she was saying.

"What sad stuff?"

She chuckled again and sniffled, wiping her left eye again. "Just something I heard today. Don't worry, it's just grown up stuff. So what's going on in your life now?" She said, suddenly changing the subject. Though skeptical of her aim in doing so, Rei decided to go along with it.

"Well," he began, drawing a long breath, "Lee is mad at me and I met two older boys and they're really nice, and I haven't seen them in a while but one's name is Gary and the other is-"

"Why is Lee angry with you?" His mother asked curiously, cutting him off. She rarely did so, but Rei didn't notice. "I thought you two were such close friends."

"We are. He's mad 'cause I chose to help Kevin over him and-"

"Kevin?"

The second time she cut him off, Rei noticed. He sighed, with slight hints of dejection. "Yeah, Kevin. We met him at the end of summer, he was… well, he was having a hard time. But anyway, one was named Gary and the other was named-"

"Kevin Ki?"

Rei blinked, startled that his mother had grown so fixated on Kevin so quickly. Slowly, he nodded.

"Yeah, that's his last name. Why?"

Rei's mother paused, sniffling a little and smiling sadly.

"Oh, nothing. You be nice to that boy, alright?"

"Yeah, mom, he's my friend. Anyway, the other's name is Kyle. He and Gary are really nice, but Lee doesn't want to know them because Gary is Kevin's cousin and Kyle is Kevin's older brother, and I chose to protect Kevin rather then help Mariah one day and now he's angry with me. But I don't get it, because he could help Mariah and he did, and I wasn't just going to let Kevin get beat up. You know?"

"Yes." Rei's mother mumbled after a pause, taking a deep breath. "Well, these are hard times. I'm sure everything will clear up soon."

"Yeah…" Rei mumbled, doubting his mother's words. Why did adults do that? Why did they say one thing and secretly mean another? Rei closed his eyes and sighed, listening to his stomach rumble. His mother smiled and shifted, suddenly perking up.

"I suppose that means it's time for breakfast, huh?"

Rei smiled. Okay, breakfast will make things better. Right?

-x-x-x-

"Careful, that floorboard creaks really badly." Kyle hissed from the entrance hatch into the attic, smiling at he watched his younger brother inch closer and closer to the desired target. A large box sat upright, filled to the brim with all sorts of promising objects, but the one they were after was the old toy plane resting atop the rest of the junk. Kevin inched along, breathing silently, his older brother coaching him from behind.

"You can't make noise. You need to be fast, but you need to be silent. Pretend there's a huge party downstairs, and all the adults are evil. Like the bad guys in the movie we watched last night."

"You mean the guys with the red things around their arms that had the funny looking plus sign?" Kevin asked, looking over his shoulder. The very notion of sneaking around fighting bad guys like that had Kevin momentarily forgetting to be quiet. Kyle shushed him violently and Kevin turned around again, embarrassed.

"Yeah, just like them. And you're Indiana Jones. You need to get that old relic and get out of there before they figure out you're here!"

Kevin bit his lip. Oh boy, what a challenge. Silently he moved, avoiding potentially squeaky boards and stepping over small knobs and possible threats. Finally, he reached the plane, snagged it, and turned, remembering to be quiet on the way back. Kyle smiled and gave him a thumbs up, ushering him back, and as Kevin moved, he felt an odd amount of grace and skill accompanying him. He liked this, this ability to move unnoticed through danger and come out with the prize. As he reached the hatch into the lower part of the house, Kyle scooped him up and jumped down, landing easily on his feet. Holding Kevin up, Kevin lifted up the plane and the two laughed in their accomplishment.

"Can we do that again?" Kevin asked eagerly, smiling as Kyle let him down.

"Nah, I gotta get to school. Wanna walk with me?"

Kevin frowned at the news that Kyle was leaving, but perked up when he was invited along.

"Sure!" He cooed, putting the plane down and smiling. He followed Kyle eagerly out of the house, helping him carry some books even though Kyle didn't actually need the help. It was fun, as far as Kevin was concerned, to wrap his arms around a book and toddle along side his older brother. He felt official and important, and for once he didn't feel below someone else. He smiled as he walked, following Kyle all the way to the school building before they parted ways and Kevin started quickly back towards home. If Kyle was in school, Chen would be too, and so he slowed his pace, suddenly recognizing that he could enjoy the walk if he wanted too.

And he did. In fact, he turned up a path leading along the side of a gentle hill, where his brother had taken him before. He moved along the trial, scaling rocks like they were mountains, climbing under overgrown bushes like they were deep tunnels, and eventually coming out atop the hill.

A single tree looked over the village, with one long branch stretching out and warn smooth from years of being sat on. The tall grass around the tree swayed in the breeze, and Kevin wandered up to it happily. He took each branch by force, storming up the tree with surprising agility and speed. He was always good and climbing trees, and from the top, he could see even farther. He sat on a sturdy branch, smiled, and enjoyed the world as it moved by slowly but surely.

-x-x-x-

Mariah leaned over the branch of the old tree pitifully, wishing that she, too, could be in school. Lazily, she climbed up over it and sat down, sighing to herself dejectedly.

_School must be so awesome_, she though. Lee said it was really great, and she wished she could go. He even got to do school stuff at home! How cool was that? He was meeting new people and he had told her that it was way cooler then spending the winter at home with mom.

"What's wrong?"

Mariah jumped, looking up sharply. There, hanging upside down only a few feet about her head and too the left of her, was Kevin. He smiled as she recognized him, letting his arms dangle above his head. She could tell that he had stuffed the front of his shirt into his pants so that it wouldn't fall in front of his face.

"Hey! What are you doing here?"

"Hanging out." He said matter-of-factly, making her laugh. It was funny, because he was, quite literally, _hanging_ out. She had never met someone who cracked a joke so suddenly, and she like it.

"Cool. I thought only my older brother and I knew about this place."

"Nah, my older brother showed me it last year."

"Cool. Why don't you come down?"

"Okay!" Kevin said happily, swinging down and landing on the branch beside her. She smiled at him and he returned it warmly, and as the day passed, they spent each hour on that branch, talking and laughing, and becoming closer friends then either of them had ever had before.

Eventually, they heard the bell ringing at the school, and they both recognized that they should be getting home. Bidding each other farewell, Maria managed to throw Kevin off guard by hugging him before she turned and ran off, giggling the whole way home. Kevin was left in the field, blushing somewhat and smiling, dumbstruck that he had yet another friend now. He sat back down on the tree branch, thinking about his afternoon with Mariah, (he could get her name right now,) and so lost in thought, he didn't hear the older boys coming up behind him.

At least, not until one kicked him off the branch. Letting out a sharp yelp, Kevin hit the ground and spun around, coming face to face with none other then Chen and two of his friends.

"Well look what we have here, boys! It's our very own punching bag!"

One laughed. "Alright, I've been needing to let this anger out on something all day."

The other one nodded. "Yeah, let's show him a thing or two about physics!"

Kevin bit his lip, backing away slowly, not knowing whether to run or not. True, he was fast, but they were taller and they could catch him easily. It would hurt more if they had to chase him, too. But… he didn't want to get beat up! He was having such a good day!

Of course, they didn't care. They were fast approaching, maniacal grins on their faces, fists in the air. _Please_, Kevin pleaded silently, _please let this be over with soon-_

"Get away from him!"

All faces spun to face a young black haired boy, feet planted firmly on the ground. He clenched his fists and narrowed his eyes, pupils becoming slits as he glared toward the bullies. Chen laughed once, cruelly.

"Or what, you'll jump on us again? Buzz off."

Chen turned back toward Kevin, reaching forward and snagging the younger's shirt, lifting Kevin off the ground. The youngest boy cried out, startled and horrified, before a rock struck Chen hard upside the head. Startled, he turned slowly to find Lee about two yards closer, another rock tight in his grip. Kevin held his breath, feeling Chen drop him to the ground and turn to face Lee slowly, grinding his teeth.

"You're going to regret doing that, you little-"

Before he could even finish, another rock struck him between the eyes, and Chen fell backwards toward Kevin, unconscious. Kevin squeaked, jumping back and stumbling before he fell to the ground, landing on his rear soundly. He blinked, staring down at Chen with complete shock, his eyes wide and his mouth hanging open. Chen's posse hesitated before growling at Lee, turning, and running down the hill.

"Come on." Lee said darkly, stalking toward Kevin and scooping him up by the elbow, dragging the smaller boy across the field and to the forest, back down the trail.

"But- I- How-…" Kevin uttered, still in shock. Lee ignored him, leading him all the way to the foot of Kevin's driveway before he pointed up it and glared down at the younger.

"Don't tell _anyone_ I did that for you. Got it?"

Kevin nodded numbly. "Got it."

"Good." He hesitated, dark look fading someone, before he sighed.

"Listen… I…"

Kevin, despite Lee wishing that he would just go home already, stayed and listened patiently. Lee sighed again, this time annoyance audible.

"I'm sorry for being such a jerk, okay? I just want to know why you don't like me."

Kevin blinked. "What?" He asked, startled. "I thought you hated me."

Lee rolled his eyes. "No, dumby, I was just being a jerk because I thought you hated me because I was mad at Rei for saving you and not Mariah because he likes you more then me!"

Kevin's face fell blank, confusion completely engulfing his youthful mind. Lee noticed and shook his head.

"Never mind. Go home, okay? Just… don't tell Rei that I helped you."

"Okay…" Kevin mumbled, watching Lee turned and head down the road away from him before he finally turned and started up his driveway toward home.

_Hey,_ Kevin thought, perking up, _maybe if Lee and I become friends he'll play Indiana Jones with me!_

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

OMG. I have no inspiration for this story right now. I'll probably find it if I really try, but this is a REALLY crappy update. I'm sorry for that. I basically pile-drived my way through it and updated the second I hit above 3000 words. But anyway, I recognize that it's been a long time since I updated, so at least that's something. I'm hungry.


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